The Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music presents the Third Annual President’s Lecture on Music History and Contemporary America, featuring Robert Santelli, Founding Executive Director of the Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music.
Wednesday, October 7, 2026 | 7PM
The Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music, Powell Soundstage
What does it mean to put music in a museum? How do we preserve and interpret an art form meant to be heard, performed, and experienced – and how have music museums changed the way we understand American history and culture?
For the Third Annual President’s Lecture on Music History and Contemporary America, Robert Santelli will explore the history and evolution of music museums in the United States, drawing on decades spent at the forefront of the field. From the emergence of institutions dedicated to preserving the legacies of artists and genres to the development of museums that use music as a lens through which to understand broader American history, Santelli will examine how the field has grown, changed, and reimagined what a music museum can be.
Drawing on his own experiences helping to build and lead major music institutions such as the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, GRAMMY Museum, and Woody Guthrie Center, Santelli will offer a unique insider’s perspective on the opportunities (and challenges) of collecting, preserving, exhibiting, and interpreting music history. He will also consider what comes next for music museums in an era of changing audiences, rapidly evolving technology, and new approaches to storytelling.
Part history, part reflection, and part look toward the future, the lecture will explore why music belongs in museums – and why preserving the stories, sounds, objects, and experiences of American music matters.
Third Annual President’s Lecture on Music History and Contemporary America: Making Music Museums
